From the fourth quarter of 2016 to the fourth quarter of 2017, nonfarm business sector labor productivity increased 1.1 percent, reflecting a 3.2-percent increase in output and a 2.1-percent increase in hours worked. Annual average productivity increased 1.2 percent from 2016 to 2017.

These data are from the Labor Productivity and Costs program. For more information, see “Labor Productivity and Costs — Fourth Quarter and Annual Averages 2017, Preliminary” (HTML) (PDF). Labor productivity, or output per hour, is calculated by dividing an index of real output by an index of hours worked by all persons, including employees, proprietors, and unpaid family workers. More labor productivity charts can be found at Graphics for Economic News Releases: Productivity and Costs.